life matters pregnancy from rape

A
rape victim becoming pregnant—what situation could be more emotionally charged
than that?

Even
among those who are pro-life, some individuals are tempted to condone aborting
children conceived from rape out of a natural empathy for the rape victim. Rape
is an evil act. Since pregnancy from rape can seem to compound and prolong the
victim's anguish, some believe that abortion will permit the rape victim to
begin healing earlier.

Abortion
advocates exploit this compassion, pointing endlessly to the "need" for
abortion in the case of pregnancy from rape. Because abortion is already legal
for any reason, their real purpose is to marginalize and malign those who are
consistent in their pro-life beliefs—by characterizing them as insensitive and
rigid. But this rhetoric perpetuates falsehoods that can further harm pregnant
rape victims.

As a
primary care physician and a former counselor for sexual assault victims, I
have found that those who see abortion as the inevitable or best response in
these cases are often uninformed. They are misled by destructive and
dehumanizing stereotypes about rape, about victims of rape and about the
outcome of rape-related pregnancy. Biases and stereotyping contribute to
further traumatizing victims of rape. Each of us can help rape victims choose
life.

Facts
and fallacies

Definition:
Rape is not a sex crime. It is a crime of violence—a deeply personal and
unwanted violation of a human being, a brutal exertion of power and control
over another person. Power, not sexual desire, drives the assailant.1 Victimizers can be husbands, boyfriends, family members and
acquaintances. Stranger rape is estimated to represent only between 8 and 20
percent of all acts of rape.2

The
U.S. Department of Justice defines rape as: "Forced sexual intercourse
including both psychological coercion as well as physical force. Forced sexual
intercourse means penetration by the offender(s)." Sexual assault, in contrast,
includes a wide range of unwanted sexual contact or verbal threats that may or
may not involve force.3

Prevalence
and reporting: According to the National Crime Victimization Survey (a large household survey of
over 146,000 individuals over age 12), designed to capture reported and
unreported crimes, there were 143,300 completed "rape and sexual assault
victimizations" against females in the U.S. in 2010. That means an assault for
every 1,000 females age 12 and older. The rate was highest among women under age
35. The great majority of victims were related to or in a relationship with
their attacker. Only slightly over one-third reported the attack to police. Eleven
percent of assaults were associated with a weapon. Injuries, ranging from
gunshot wounds to minor bruises and cuts, were reported by 58 percent of
victims. Only 35 percent of those with an injury sought treatment.4

Frequency
of pregnancy related to rape: The
number and percent of pregnancies resulting from rape is frequently overstated.
There are two main reasons why relatively few rapes result in pregnancy. The
average rate of pregnancy from a single act of unprotected sexual intercourse
ranges from 2 to 4 percent.5In addition, 10.9 percent of U.S.
women of childbearing age are infertile6 and
over 41 percent have undergone surgical sterilization or are using a continuous
form of contraception, reducing (though not eliminating) the likelihood of
pregnancy.7A survey of U.S. women's reasons
for choosing abortion found that only one percent reported "rape" as a reason
and less than one half of one percent reported that rape was the main reason.8

It
is important to bear in mind, however, that we are dealing not with a
statistical issue, but a human one.

There
are no "typical" victims

There
is no "normal" reaction to rape. As with other highly traumatic experiences, an
individual's response is unpredictable. A myriad of reactions—depression,
anger, anxiety, fear of retaliation, guilt, desire for revenge, humiliation,
disbelief—are some of the short-term and long-term psychological reactions to
rape.

Unfortunately,
many people are still quick to blame the victim. "How could you have been so
naïve as to trust him?" "I told you hanging around bars and staying out late
would lead to trouble." "You send the wrong message with the way you dress." Blaming the victim
discourages all victims from reporting rape, encourages isolation, and causes
women to conceal signs of victimization. Because pregnancy cannot be hidden,
the mentality of blaming the victim only encourages resort to abortion.

Response
to pregnancy

Rape
victims may respond in a variety of ways on learning they are pregnant—anger,
fear, anxiety, depression, complacency and anything else you can imagine.
Family and friends often feel helpless or are uncomfortable and embarrassed.

Advice
such as "You have to put this behind you" and "It's best not to dwell on what
happened" may make recovery particularly difficult for a pregnant rape victim.
Such advice does not express empathy for the victim, nor respect for the child
in the event of pregnancy.

The
abortion solution?

Abortion
advocates perpetuate the myth that pregnant rape victims generally desire abortion,
and this makes it difficult for women to choose the life-giving alternative for
their child. We must not forget that pregnant rape victims aren't suddenly
separated from the person they were before the rape—they bring to this
difficult journey their beliefs, their sense of right and wrong and everything
else that they are.

In a
survey I conducted of counseling agencies assisting women with problem
pregnancies, therapists identified 37 women who had reported a rape-related
pregnancy. Of them, 28
continued their pregnancy, 5 chose abortion and 4 were lost to follow up.9Many women
in this study initially had strong negative feelings and fears. Of those who
continued their pregnancy, two-thirds developed more positive feelings toward
their unborn child as the pregnancy progressed. Their feelings of self esteem
and contentedness improved during the pregnancy, while anxiety, depression,
anger and fear decreased.

The
abortion rate among rape victims (50 percent) is not substantially higher than
among all women who report an "unintended pregnancy" (40
percent).10 The majority of those who decided against abortion chose to raise
their child, while a small percentage opted for adoption.11
A
study of 164 such women found that the majority of those who had abortions
regretted having done so and said the abortion caused them additional problems.12
By
contrast, among those who delivered a child conceived by rape, satisfaction was
higher and none stated any regret for having given birth.13

Abortion,
therefore, is not an inevitable choice. The loving
support of family, friends and counselors can make a huge difference.

Sandra
Mahkorn, MD, MPH, MS is a family physician and former counselor for sexual
assault victims. She
has a diverse professional background that includes patient practice,
healthcare administration, public health and public policy.

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